The Sisters and the Tiger
by Nanenna
Summary: Once upon a time there was a widow and her two lovely daughters who were as different as night and day. One was called Rose Red, because of her rosy cheeks and warm personality; the other was called Snow White because of her pale hair and paler skin. One thing anyone who had met this little family could tell you: they all loved each other unconditionally.


Once upon a time in a tiny cottage perched on the edge of a great forest, there lived an old widow and her two beautiful daughters. Late one evening there came a knocking at their door that could barely be heard over winter storm howling outside their windows.

"It must be some poor traveler trapped out in the storm," said Naoko without looking up from the squares she was sewing together. "Be a pair of dears and let them in."

Haru was the first to hop eagerly up, dropping her own sewing in the process. Louise gently laid aside her book to follow Haru at a more sedate pace. "Haru, don't just stand there with the door open letting all that ice and wind in," she scolded as she approached her sister standing in the open doorway, one hand still on the door's knob.

"A beast," Haru managed to whisper in shock as she looked over her shoulder at Louise, her free hand pointing out into the storm.

Louise frowned as she walked around Haru to look at where she was pointed. A gasped slipped through her lips as she stood staring dumbly out into the storm, "It _is_ a beast."

Naoko set aside her half finished quilt in worry when she heard her daughters' words and rushed to the door. A hand fluttered to her throat as she too gasped in shock at the sight before her, a great cat creature with orange and cream fur and glowing green eyes stood patiently on their door step. "A lion!" Naoko cried in shock.

"A tiger, I think," Louise corrected.

"He's so cool," Haru breathed, her hand still holding the door open.

The great cat nervously scuffed a paw against the snow piled on the door step, "Good evening, ladies."

"G-good evening," Naoko stuttered as she dropped into a hurried curtsy, Louise and Haru likewise dropped into rusty curtsies.

"Would you be so kind as to give shelter to a poor stranger for the evening?"

"Of course," Naoko agreed readily. With a hand on each daughter's shoulder, she gently moved them out of the doorway to allow the great cat in. He politely shook the snow and ice from his fur and each great paw before stepping delicately into the cottage and laying himself out before the fire. Naoko gently shut and latched the door as her daughters returned to their places. "Louise, could you go back to the beginning of the chapter?"

"Yes, Mother." Louise turned back a page or two and began reading, the gentle rising and falling of her voice giving a soothing rhythm to Naoko's work.

Haru had picked her sewing back up and was diligently working away on it, or trying to at least. Her eyes kept slipping over to the great cat laid out on the hearth stones, his eyes gently closed as his tail curled and relaxed to its own rhythm. The third time Haru pricked her finger, she finally gave in to her curiosity and scooted closer to the great cat.

The only indication he gave of her movement was a flick of his ear.

Haru leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the great cat's paws. She gasped and scooted back when the paw she had been inspecting moved closer to her. The sudden silence in the room was palpable, the only sound to be heard was the crackling fire and howling wind outside.

The great cat cracked an eye open as he looked over the room's occupants. After a moment he huffed, closed his eyes again, and lay his head down on the carpet. He stretched his paws out then, pushing one even closer to Haru with it angled so the soft flesh underneath was facing her. Unable to resist any longer, Haru picked the great paw up.

"It feels so weird," Haru giggled as she gently squished his toe beans.

Louise absently set her book aside as she scooted closer to Haru until she was looking over her shoulder. Haru held the paw up for Louise, who hesitantly held a hand out to gently brush the fur sticking out between the toe beans. "It's so soft," she murmured in awe.

"Far softer than the fur on the other side," Haru replied as she turned the paw so the top was facing Louise.

Louise obligingly felt the fur Haru offered her, "You're right, it isn't as soft. Instead it's so smooth." Louise happily stroked the paw until something nudged her knee. She looked down to find another paw pressing against her accompanied by a wink from the paw's owner. Smiling, Louise picked up the offered paw and began inspecting it for herself while Haru went back to fiddling with her own paw.

* * *

The full moon shone brightly in a cloudless sky, clearly illuminating the clean swept path from the gate through a sleeping garden up to the front door as the great cat trotted confidently up it. He easily rapped on the door, which was quickly unlatched and opened wide by a pair of familiar, smiling faces.

"Mr. Cat," said Louise cheerfully as she pulled the door wide, "please do come in."

"Why thank you Miss Louise, Miss Haru," Mr. Cat replied as he stepped into the little cottage.

"You're early tonight," Haru commented as she and Louise followed him into the main room.

"Indeed, the fine weather tonight made traveling much easier."

"Good evening, Mr. Cat."

"Good evening, Mrs. Yoshioka." Mr. Cat bowed his head to Naoko, who dipped into a curtsy in reply.

"We were just sitting down to dinner, would you care to join us?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Mr. Cat, you are our guest and treasured friend, I insist."

"Oh please do," Haru begged while giving him her best 'puppy dog eyes.'

"You would make us all very happy," Louise added as she gave her own 'puppy dog eyes.'

"Only a cad would refuse three such lovely and hospitable ladies," Mr. Cat gave in with a good natured chuckle.

"Excellent, it will only take a moment to add a fourth place to the table."

Louise moved to help her mother change the table around while Haru threw her arms over Mr. Cat's neck in unadulterated glee. "You're gonna love it, we're having stew tonight."

Enjoy it Mr. Cat did, licking his plate clean much to the young ladies' delight. After dinner they settled down to their usual spots, Mrs. Yoshioka doing needlework from the overstuffed armchair, a relic of their previous lifestyle, while Mr. Cat lounged in front of the warm fire with Haru and Louise cuddled up to his belly while they read or did their own needlework.

Naoko's busy hands came to rest as she looked at the scene laid out before her, a smile tugging gently at the corners of her mouth.

"Mother, is something wrong?" Haru asked when she noticed Naoko's stillness.

"No, nothing. It's just that… this is really nice."

Haru settled deeper into Mr. Cat's soft belly, "Yeah, it is."

* * *

The crowd of thick clouds scudding hurriedly across the sky only gave the crescent moon brief glimpses of the warm insides of the Yoshioka cottage. The dinner dishes were cleaned and neatly put away, the kitchen tidied and empty, the mending and chores done for a change. Naoko had joined her daughters on the floor next to Mr. Cat, her hands busily rearranging fabric swatches over the floor as Louise and Haru happily alternated between scratching Mr. Cat's chin and stroking his silky fur. Naoko picked up a colorful square of fabric with a cheerful hen on it and compared it to one with a dapper rooster.

"You know," Naoko started as she held the two swatches up next to each other, "I noticed the other day that the chicken feed seems fuller than it ought to." She glanced over to Mr. Cat as she continued, "And the hens are laying rather well for this time of year."

"My, that does seem odd." Mr. Cat's tail twitched and curled as a smile seemed to grow across his muzzle.

"The larder seems fuller too, this time last year it was nearly empty."

"You must have had a very fruitful harvest this last fall."

"Or a good fairy is thanking us for a past kindness."

Mr. Cat sat forward to properly bow his head to Naoko. "In my experience you and your daughters are all very kind, thoughtful people. It would not surprise me if there were many a good fairy who wished to show you their gratitude."

Naoko bowed her head back to Mr. Cat in thanks.

* * *

A chill wind blew wispy clouds across the sky, clouds too thin to hide the face of the fractious moon as she dropped ever closer to the western horizon. Ice and snow flurries shifted about, gathering in the little whirlwinds and piling up in corners. Yet despite the cold, there was a hint in the air that foretold of coming change. Animals twitched in their dens, then fell back into slumber, waiting. Mr. Cat felt the change too, he was wide awake to watch the sun rise coldly over the horizon while the young Yoshioka women were still asleep in their beds and Naoko could be heard quietly getting ready for the day.

"Good morning," Mr. Cat greeted as Naoko appeared from the back of the cottage, still tucking her hair up into a serviceable bun.

"Good morning," Naoko replied with a smile. "Care to join me while I feed the hens and gather up the eggs."

"I would be delighted." Mr. Cat took the empty basket Naoko offered him, carrying it gently in his great jaws as he followed her out the kitchen door and to the chicken coop. The hens wisely chose to stay in their warm coop while the chill wind still blew. Mr. Cat obediently held the basket for Naoko as she collected the eggs, then followed her back into the warm little cottage. "Thank you, Mr. Cat. Could you wake the girls for me while I start breakfast?" Naoko asked as she gently took the basket.

"Certainly, Mrs. Yoshioka." Mr. Cat nodded to Naoko before he turned and padded to the back of the cottage. He gently knocked at the girls' door, "Louise, Haru, it is time to get up." The sound of rustling blankets and a voice murmuring something too quietly to hear met his ears. Mr. Cat smiled as he knocked again. "Haru? Louise? Your mother is preparing breakfast as I speak."

"I'm up, I'm up," gently floated from the other side of the door, accompanied by Mr. Cat's ever widening smile. "Louise, c'mon. We gotta get up now."

"Yes, okay, time to get up, very good..."

"You have to actually get up, not just talk about it."

The giggles radiating from the girls' room assured Mr. Cat they had indeed woken up, so he ambled back out into the main room and laid himself out in front of the fire as he waited for Naoko to finish breakfast. His broad smile drooped as his whiskers quivered, a glance out the window showed streaks of gray cloud racing at a snail's pace across the blue sky. A thump near Mr. Cat's head brought him out of his reverie.

"Good morning, Mr. Cat!" Haru greeted as she bent down to rub his furry cheeks.

"Good morning, Mr. Cat," Louise echoed as she passed them on her way into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, Mother!"

"Good morning girls, set the table please. I hope you both slept well?"

"Yes, very well," Haru gushed as she gathered up silverware.

"Being a quilter's daughter makes for some very cozy winter nights," Louise joked as she pulled mugs and plates down from their cupboard. Soon breakfast was divided up onto four plates and placed around the table with three steaming mugs and one steaming bowl to accompany them.

"Mr. Cat," Haru called as she skipped over to crouch before him, "breakfast is ready."

"Thank you, Haru." Mr. Cat rose to his paws and softly padded after Haru as she walked him to his place before taking her seat with the rest. They all tucked into their breakfast, a hearty country meal that had Mr. Cat licking his chops in delight. "An excellent breakfast, Mrs. Yoshioka, as usual."

"Thank you, Mr. Cat," Naoko replied with pride. Her smile faded as she watched him head for the door. "Are you sure you won't spend the day? The weather outside seems rather unsteady." Naoko looked out the window, where the sky had turned a dull gray during their meal.

"I am afraid I must," Mr. Cat said sorrowfully. "Sadly, I am afraid I won't be returning tonight either."

"What? No!" all three women cried as they abandoned the table to crowd about Mr. Cat.

"But I must," Mr. Cat repeated sadly. "Spring is coming, I can feel it in my whiskers. I am sorry to leave, unbearably sorry, but I must."

"You'll come back though, won't you?" Louise begged shamelessly while Haru simply wept into Mr. Cat's fur.

"I hope so, with all my heart I do. Goodbye, Mrs. and Misses Yoshioka."

Haru hurriedly scrubbed her tears away, "If you must go then, good bye."

"Until we meet again," Louise added sadly.

With one more round of hugs, the great cat walked out the cottage door and out of their lives.

* * *

"After he confessed his love to her, she _refused_!" Louise said excitedly as she swung her empty basket back and forth.

"He _didn't_!" Haru insisted in a scandalized voice as her own empty basket lay limply from her hand.

"That's nothing compared to the letter he wrote her immediately after her refusal."

"You must let me borrow your book," Haru begged with clasped hands and her very best 'puppy dog eyes.'

"You may… after I have finished reading it."

"Then stop talking about it, you'll spoil the whole story for me!" Both girls laughed and shrieked with glee as Haru mock attacked her sister.

"Shall we stop by the shops and see the latest fashions while we are in town?" Louise asked by way of changing the subject.

"That sounds nice, we can laugh at the ridiculous hats that seem so popular recently." Another round of laughter met Haru's statement, laughter that was cut off as a distant yell was faintly heard coming from the woods the girls were walking next to. "Goodness, what was that?"

"A cry for help?" Louise tilted her head slightly as she listened for more. She was rewarded with another distant yell, definitely from inside the woods.

A shared look, a nod, baskets tucked into elbows, skirts gathered, the girls ran hand in hand into the woods as they tried to find the person in need of help. Louise nearly stumbled into a rocky creek, but Haru pulled her up and away from it before the mishap could happen.

"What in the world is going on?! Who are you?" A rather angry man who only came up to either girl's hip was sitting precariously on a rather large rock, a fishing rod in his hands with the line tangled up in his impressively long beard, all of which looked to be in a fierce tug-of-war with something furiously splashing in the creek.

"Sorry to have startled you," Haru gasped as she attempted to regain her breath.

"We heard someone calling for help," Louise added breathlessly.

"You heard me cursing this pole and the fish caught on it." He glared up at the girls even as he struggled with the fishing pole. "Well, you wanted to help, do something!"

Louise looked the situation over, then shook her head sadly. "There seems to only be one thing to do." She pulled a small sewing kit from her pocket, and before the little man could do more than cry out in surprise, cut the fishing line and the tip of his beard with it. The little man bowled over backwards, the fishing pole now more tangled in his beard than ever.

"What'd you do that for?!" he cried indignantly as he struggled to sit up straight. "Ruined a perfectly good fishing line, you did. Lost me the fish and the hook with it. And look at my beard! Absolutely ruined!" He glared up at Louise, who only looked coolly back at him. "Well, are you going to do anything to fix this mess you got me in?"

"Of course, it should only take a little effort to pull your beard and the line apart," Haru soothed as she pushed between Louise and the little man. "We did decide on our own to come help him," she added in a whisper for Louise's ears alone.

"That is true," Louise agreed with a sigh. The pair sat before the little man and set about untangling him. The task was easier said than done, the beard had tangled up in tight knots with with fishing line, not to mention how every grumble and complaint from the little man seemed to tangle his beard further with the pole itself. "There doesn't seem to be any saving it," Louise whispered worriedly to Haru.

"There really doesn't," Haru whispered back sadly. Now both of them had their scissors out and were carefully cutting off the beard at its base.

"Wait, what are you doing?" The little man asked once he stopped grumbling long enough to notice the snip snip of the scissors. "Wait, stop! Don't!" He bodily pushed Haru away, causing her to stumble and fall into the mud. Louise hurriedly stood and stepped back from the little man, his full beard now in her hands. "What have you done?" he wailed in despair.

"There was no untangling it from the fishing pole, but you can always grow another."

"You silly girls, you don't understand!" He took a step towards Louise, who took a step back in worry while Haru quickly scrambled to her feet. Before anyone could do anything else, a deafening roar split the air. The little man turned to look behind him, his face turning chalky white at what he saw.

Mr. Cat leapt onto the little man, pushing him to the ground as his great paws rested on his chest. "So we meet again," Mr. Cat growled angrily.

"Y-y-y-y-you," the little man stuttered.

"That's right, and thanks to my friends here you no longer have any power over me. Begone, and never return!"

The little man did begone, with a faint pop he seemed to simply cease to be. Haru rushed to Louise's side and took her sister's hands as they stared at their friend.

"Mr. Cat?" Louise asked, then gasped as she watched him stand tall and seem to change right before their eyes. No longer was he a great cat, but a well dressed man in a pale suit complete with matching hat. He turned to face the girls, a wide grin across his freckled cheeks that was echoed in his glittering green eyes. He took off his hat and made a formal bow to the girls.

"My apologies for startling you both, but now that proper introductions can be made: my name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. That dwarf had put me under a curse-" before he could finish his thought both girls had flung their arms about his neck and pulled him into an enthusiastic hug.

"Does this mean you don't need to stay away anymore?" Haru asked excitedly.

"And can visit any time you wish?" Louise added just as excitedly.

"Mother will be delighted to be properly introduced to you now."

"I'm so glad we don't have to call you 'Mr. Cat' anymore."

Baron returned the embraces of both girls. "Not half so glad as I," he purred before gently kissing first Louise, then Haru on the forehead. "Not half so glad as I."

And the three of them lived happily ever after with their mother. The end.

* * *

Unlike Cinderella, the tale of Snow White and Rose Red isn't very well known. I can't just start in the middle and expect everyone who reads to already know what's going on. But it was a fun challenge, trying to fit in as much backstory as possible without just dumping it all on the reader. I also had a lot of fun writing Louise as Haru's sister. I know most of my friends like making her a drama queen adventurer, but it was nice making her more soft spoken and lady-like. Haru was probably a bit OOC, I just really like the idea of her being a friendly little ball of curiosity. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


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